Hay-press



(No Model.)V

0.1m W. MCNEILL.

HAY PRESS No. 410,329. Patented Sept. 3, 1889.

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5o suitable means-say by set-screws UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES DE WITTE MCNEILL, OF GOLIAD, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FRANCIS EHUCK, OF VICTORIA, TEXAS.

HAY-PRESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 410,329, dated September 3, 1889.

Application 'led November 13,1888. Serial No. 290,548. (No model.)

T0 a/ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES DE WITTE MCNEILL, acitizen of the United States, residing at Goliad, in the county of Goliad and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hay-Presses; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and eXact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which forni a part of this specification.

My invention relates to hay-presses, and has for its object to simplify and cheapen the construction and render it more efficient in the formation of the hay into bales; and to such ends the invention consists in the construction and combination of parts hereinafter particularly described, and then pointed out in the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, and in which* Figure l is a side elevation of the press. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 isa vertical cross-sectional view on4 the4 line of block R, shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a central vertical longitudinal section. .Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are details.

In the drawings, the letter A designates the upright timbers, B the longitudinaltimbers, and C the cross-timbers constituting the frame of the press and connected together by bolts applied wh crever necessary or desirable. The feed-box E is closed at the bottom and sides, but open at the front for the movement of the plunger and at the rear for the passage of the bale into the tieboX G, which is formed with open or partially-open sides formed by the slats or sectional bars II, as shown. The bottom of the press may be solid or slatted, as desired.

The top of the press is designated by the letter I, and is adjustable up and down, so as to compress the bale vertically more or less, as desired. It is supported by a cross-spring J, secured to it and resting at its ends upon the sides of the press, and is pressed down by The preferred construction is a setscrew K, passed through a cross-timber L and bearing at its lower end against the block M, attached to the movable top, the screw being provided with a crank N, by turning which the screw will press down that end of the top. The movement of the top is further regulated by another screw P and nut Q. The screw P passes through the cross-timber L', resting on the sides of the press, and bears against a block` R, provided with pins S, which press through the timberL and bear against the block M', so that by adjusting the nut against the washer Q the block R and its pins will be caused to press down'the top. The advantage of the block with the two pins is, that the pins will bear against the top at different points and thus distribute the pressure. the top, the spring J will exert an upward pressure, so that as the nuts are loosened the spring will draw the top `upward. I prefer to locate the screws, which serve as levers, so as to bring one near the discharge end of the tie-box and the other over or adjacent to the feed-box, as a betvter distribution of pressure is thus obtained. fThe top at the rear end fits under the cross bolt or brace T, and at its forward end has a Ehook or catch U hinged or pivoted to it and adapted to project below the top, so as to hold each charge of hay in place and keep it from straggling or falling out of the front end of the feed-chamber. This catch is acted on by a spring V, which may be secured in place bythe cross-piece WV, and serves to pressthe `catch down and impart to it ayielding pressure. The catch U is shown as supported from the top by an elastic or spring shank U', while the spring-plate V extends over and bears against the top ofthe catch. The effect of this is to render the catch U elastic and stiff, with power in its shank to lift it as soon as the pressure of the spring-plate V is released, while at the same time the springplate will exert a strong pressure on the catch and assist in bracing its spring-shank against pressure from below. l

In each side of the feed-box is a series of fingers X, pivoted so as to be thrown out by While the screws will press down the charge of hayT as it is pressed over them toward the rear end of the feed-box, and adapted to have their ends moved in from the sides of the feed-box after the charge has passed them, soas to form catches or stops to hold the hay in place while the plunger is being drawn back for the next charge. These catches or stops may be acted on by springs a, so as to hold theirinner ends from the sides of the feed-box. The plunger Y of the feed-box is provided on its outer face with two blocks A', constituting jaws,

provided with a bolt B', which serves to connect the inner end of the toggle-lever C to the plunger. The inner end of this lever is formed with the tongue c, iitting between the blocks A, and formed with a slot d, through which the bolt B passes. The inner end of the lever is also formed with the two shoulders e, designed, when the toggle is straightened, to bear against the two blocks A', while at the same time the inner end of the tongue will bear against the plunger, thus affording three bearing-points for the toggle-lever, and thus distributing the pressure over the plunger. The outer end of the toggle-lever is likewise provided with two shoulders f and with a tongue c', formed with a slot d', so that the tongue c may fit between the jaws A2 of the main lever C2, a bolt B2 passing through the jaws A2 and the slot d in the tongue c. The slot d permits the jaws of the main lever, when that lever is straightened, to bear against the shoulders f of the toggle-lever, and also allows the end of the tongue of the toggle-lever to bear against the main lever, thus affording several bearing-points for the two levers and distributing the strain over them.

Instead of having the jaws of the main lever bear directly against the shoulders f of the toggle-lever, I prefer to interpose between them rollers g, which will turn on pivots h, entering the tongue c', the outer ends of the pivots being journaled .in bearing-plates i, and between the jaws A2, next to the end of the tongue c, I journal a roller j, against which the end of the tonguemaybear. These rollers very much reduce the friction and take oif the wear between the parts, and, besides reducing the strain, cause said levers to inove with the greatest ease when manipulated.

The main lever is composed of the diagonally-set pieces D', the connecting cross-piece D2, the rearwardly-eXtending piece D3, and diagonally-connecting braces D4. This lever is fulcrumed to the front cross-piece E of the press by the bolt F', and when the press is supported upon wheels for transportation this lever will be connected to the front axle by the chains G', and will have singletree I-I attac-hed to its front end. The preferred form of tree is illustrated in Fig. 7 which consists of the tree Il', of any suitable construction,

sustaining between its ends the pulleyl 7c,

around which passes the chain Z, having hooks m at its ends, so that when the traces of one horse are hitched to one end of the singletree and the end of the chain nearest thereto and the traces of the other horse are hitched to the other end of the tree and chain an equalizing-doubletree is formed, which causes each horse to pull his own portion of the draft. An apron n extends back from the upper end of plunger Y, so that when the plunger is pressed forward of the feed-hopper in compressing a charge of hay the apron will form a bottom to the hopper, on which hay may be piled preparatory to dropping it into the feed-chamber. This apron prevents hay from fallingv down back of t-he plunger, and, moving with the plunger, allows the accumulated hay to fall into the feed-chamber in front of the plunger as the plunger is moved backward to its position to make another movement to compress another charge of hay.

The follower-blocks I, formed with the grooves J for the passage of the bindingwires, subserve the purpose for which such blocks are usually employed in hay-presses.

In operation the hay is placed in the feedbox in separate charges and the plunger forced in upon each charge to press the same to its place, each charge being held to its place by the catches at the top and sides of the box'when the plunger is withdrawn, and 'so the feeding and pressing are repeated until the bale is completed. The formation of the bale is continuous, for as fast as a portion of one bale enters the tie-box another follower-block is placed in the feed-box and the wires inserted in the slots of the follower-block already in the tie-box, so that they can be passed through the slots in the other block: as soon as it enters the tie-box.

- It .will be observed, too, that in every quarterturn of the main lever the plunger is moved in to compress one charge, and in the next quarter-turn is moved out, so as to permit another charge to be introduced, and consequently while the lever is traversing a halfcircle one charge is compressed and the plunger brought into position for another charge. The press is not only strong in construction, durable in use, and simple and efficient in operation, but is a continuous baler, and can be used either on the wheels or dismounted, as desired.

I have described what I consider the best details of construction; but it is obvious that changes can be made in some of the parts and intheir arrangement without departing from my invention.

Instead of the screw P and nut Q, I may use any well-known form of lever that will serve the same purpose, and so when I use the term screw, whether for screw P or K, I mean to include any well-known formV of lever as an equivalent.

I hereby disclaim the spring passing trans IOO versely across the roof and having its ends restingon the frame and its central portion depressed and secured to the roof. Having described my invention and set forth its merits, what I claim `isl. The combination, with the press-chamber having an adjustable top, of the block R, provided with pins bearing against different parts of the top, the cross-timber L', having apertures for the passage of the pins of the block R, the screw P, passed through said cross-timberand block, and the nut Q, applied to the end of said screw to regulate the press ure of said block and its pins, substantially as and for the purposes set forth. j

2. The combination, with the adjustable top, 0f the spring connected to and suspending said top, and the screws for adjusting the top, one of said screws being located at the discharge end of the tie-box and the other located over or adjacent to the feed-box, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.'

3. The combination,with the plunger formed with jaws and the main lever, of the toggle' lever connected at one end with the :main lever and at the other end formed with a longitudinallyslottedA tongue and shoulders above and below the tongue, said slot being main lever, of the toggle-lever having atongue formed with a slot permitting a longitudinal play of the lever, a bolt passing through the slot and connecting the toggle-lever and main lever together, friction-rollers mounted above and below the tongue, and a roller mounted between the end of the tongue and the main lever, said rollers being located, substantially as described, to form three yielding points of lever at their adjacent ends when brought tof:

'contact between the toggledever andmain gether, substantially as and `for the purpose setvforth. v v

Intestimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnessesA CHARLES DE WITTE MCNEILL. Vitnesses:

J AMES A. BURKE,J r., JAMES A. BURKE, Sr. 

